Friends,

Here is Common Christianity column #821 (8-9-22), “Command Performance.” We Christians focus so much on being commanded by God to behave … but He is commanding us to love.  See the column below.

Have a great week!  Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #821

August 9, 2022

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Command Performance

By Bob Walters

“This is my command: Love each other.” – Jesus to his disciples, John 15:17

Perhaps Satan’s greatest ally in staunching human acceptance, adoration, and obedience regarding God, Jesus, the church, and Christianity is how people understand the specific and very-often used Bible word: “command.”

Cite the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5-6) to lay out a behavioral template, and the Bible is a “Rule Book.” 

Rehearse Jesus’s words, “A new command I give to you, love God and love others” (John 13:34), and a romantic novel is birthed.

If one asserts the various “commands” of Christ and directives of Paul as a punishable threat against human sin, a horror story of trapped souls, fearful missteps, dreaded judgment, and joyless lives flourishes.

Whatever happened to, “So your joy may be complete”? (John 15:7)

The Bible reads far better when the commands of God and Christ – and the general teaching of the New Testament writers – are understood to tell us the way things will go best for us, rather than as threats from an angry, wrathful, cranky God with a prison list of forbidden activities.  God’s not out “to get us.”  At least, not like that.

The Ten Commandments present the template for successful society and thriving human aspiration and creativity. The first four commands tell us to know and honor God; the last six commands to respect and honor each other.  The beneficiary of these commands is not God; it is us.  Our relationship with God brings joy; our relationship with each other brings peace. Then, things can go well with us (Eph 6:3, Deut 12:28).

It’s an easy equation: God is love, and He’s here to help; Jesus proves it.  But God is also maddeningly and unchangeably righteous.  We have freedom, yes; and in Christ we have freedom from the Law of Israel. But we have profound responsibility to God’s favorite creation – humanity – to share His love and teach about Jesus Christ.

Everyone knows that Jesus’s “two new commandments” mirror the ten given to Israel: “Love God” comprises the first four; “Love each other” comprises the last six.  Two sounds simpler than ten, but the profound responsibility of our obedience can be a real head-spinner because of the profound mystery of divine love. God has the final say.

A concrete list of “Do’s and Don’ts” – such as the Law – muddies the possibility and joy of sacrificial love because we fear mistakes more than we cherish love.

Christianity can’t be like that; God’s commands expand our lives…if we let them.

The Sunday church experience cheers up dramatically when the words of Christ’s hope and joy are preached as real and attainable goals through love and generosity rather than as draconian condemnations against human missteps and sin.

Like the Good Book says, our good works will not get us into heaven (Eph 2:8) because divine love is not performance art; it’s divine art of the heart, soul, and intellect.

Satan is going to continue his only quest, which is to hinder God’s glory by convincing humans to judge our performance rather than pouring out God’s love.

God’s commands are grounded in His purpose to restore and assure our joy. That is God’s art of how things go best with us, and His command performance of love.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) appreciates good coaching.  Jesus is the best.